Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks During August and Early

January 2013 2012 has been a very exciting and productive year. I have been able to work with a great range of primary materials, especially correspondence between Gunnar Widforss and his close friends and patrons, giving me greater insight into his personality, his travels, and his business. I have also been able to add eighty-two new original paintings to the catalogue raisonné along with a large number of reproductions and other related materials. Perhaps most exciting of all, I have been able to begin assessing Widforss’ place within the greater community of Swedish-American artists of his generation.

Sound Business Practices and Mystery Trees - Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks During August and early September I spent four weeks conducting research in a variety of institutions in central and northern California. Two of the most fun and productive stops were in Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. In Yosemite National Park I was honoured to give a presentation as part of the National Park Service program “Yosemite Forum.” Sequoias, no date, 29 x 23 3/4 inches (74 x 60 cm). The With gracious thanks to Linda Eade, Librarian, and small group of trees near the “House Group.” Courtesy Archivist Gwen Barrow, I was able to fi nd a good deal private collector. of useful information in the Yosemite National Park Eldridge told me he thought one of the paintings of a small Library and the park archives. One of the greatest group of Sequoias that I showed the audience might things that Gwen found for me was a memo describing in fact be a group of trees called the “House Group,” the business arrangements between Gunnar and the located within the larger Giant Forest grove. Yosemite Park and Curry Company. Th e memo specifi ed Th e following day my daughter, Mira, and I that he would supply three paintings a month in set off for a walk through the Giant Forest to visit the exchange for room and board, and a place to park his House Group. After about a twenty minute walk in a car in the company garage. light mist we approached the House Group. It turned From Yosemite I travelled south to Sequoia out that the group of trees in the painting wasn’t the National Park where I gave three lectures, including House Group. The painting depicts another, un- one for the Park Service staff. Until my visit to named small group approximately 100 yards west of Sequoia National Park this summer I had been mystifi ed the House Group on the trail! Because of Gunnar’s by my inability to verify that Gunnar had painted in meticulous draftsmanship the painting is an almost Sequoia or King’s Canyon National Parks. Neither exact representation of the group of trees and verifi es park is mentioned in the brief summaries of the letters little has changed in eighty-fi ve years. He had removed that I currently have access to. However, given their two or three trees in the painting in order to open up close proximity to Yosemite and the wealth of rich the composition a bit and aside from that the depic- subject matter from alpine vistas to giant Sequoias tion was spot on – clear visual proof that he had spent it seemed to me inconceivable that he wouldn’t have some time painting in Sequoia National Park. visited the two parks. If you are interested, you can view a map of Following my presentation for the park staff the location of the trees on the web site at at Sequoia/Kings Canyon, Museum Curator Ward www.gunnarwidforss.org/images/SequoiaGiantForestMap.jpg Friends and Patrons One of the things that helped Gunnar a wonderful day with Roger and Johanna talking about Widforss make a living painting landscapes in America, Ansel and photographing their Widforss paintings. particularly after 1929, was his friendship with a number Th is year I traced letters to and from Ansel Hall of important men in the National Park Service and to three other important friends and patrons of Gunnar’s: conservation groups. John C. Merriam, Newton Drury and Fritiof Fryxell. After I left Sequoia National Park I travelled Merriam and Drury were both founding board members north to Davis where I visited and worked in the of the Save the Redwoods League (SRL). Newton Drury University of California Davis’ Special Collections would go on to become the Director of the National Library and its Mike and Margaret B. Harrison Western Park Service from (1940 - 1951). At the Library of Research Center Collection. Th e Harrisons are notable Congress I found a good deal of valuable correspondence for (among other things) assembling a private library between Merriam, Ansel Hall and Newton Drury. In of more than 21,000 volumes on western American addition to serving as a board member for the SRL John history that they housed and made available to scholars C. Merriam was the President of the Carnegie Foundation. in the living room of their house before donating the Among the many endeavours that the Carnegie Foundation collection to UC Davis in 2006. Mike Harrison worked supported they provided partial funding for the Yavapai for the Park Service at Grand Canyon and was a close Observation Station and Museum at Yavapai Point friend of Gunnar’s. Mike’s first wife, Elizabeth at Grand Canyon constructed in 1928. Gunnar Hegemann, wrote the Southwestern classic Navajo Widforss consulted with Ansel Hall and George Collins Trading Days. I was able to glean a great deal of on some of the interpretative design elements for the important information from correspondence to museum. Harrison from Widforss between the years 1927 to 1933. Harrison also had six paintings by Gunnar that The Redwood Empire I photographed and added to the catalogue. You may Th ere is a long history of trees as subjects in recall the photograph of a painting done by Gunnar of the history of Swedish painting and it’s safe to say that Monument Valley that I included in the fi rst newsletter. Gunnar loved painting trees more than any other subject. I was very excited to fi nd that Mike Harrison had a He once said “How can you paint the Redwoods? Th ey very similar painting of the same view painted from are too high, too tremendous, too wonderful?” California the same location, and it’s much nicer! art critics wrote more than once that Gunnar was one of One of my most anticipated meetings in the few artists capable of painting Redwood trees. In the September was with Roger and Johanna Hall. Th ey are 1920s he would regularly visit the stands of Redwoods in respectively the son and grand-daughter of Ansel Hall. Humboldt County in Northern California for weeks on Ansel Hall was an important early leader in the National end to paint the trees. Park Service and one of Widforss’ closest friends and greatest patrons. He was an important fi gure who connects together much of Widforss’ activity in the United States. It was Ansel Hall who commissioned Widforss to produce the illustrations for Hall’s beautiful reprinted edition of Harold Symmes’ Songs of Yosemite. I spent Excerpt from a letter from Newton P. Drury to John C. Merriam, July 11, 1925. In July 1925 Newton Drury wrote a letter to An Unexpected Find John C. Merriam with a proposed itinerary for their Of course, one of the great joys of this project is visits to various stands of Redwood Trees in Northern in the unexpected things that turn up. California. As you can see in Drury’s notes to Merriam When Gunnar worked on the North Rim of (above) he suggested that they pay a visit to Gunnar who Grand Canyon from 1923 – 1927 (before the completion had been working in the area since early July. Widforss of Grand Canyon Lodge) he would stay at the Wylie donated the use of at least one of his Redwoods paintings Wayside Camp operated by Th omas and Elizabeth for use as a greeting card printed by Save the Redwoods McKee (daughter and so-in-law of William T. Wylie). League. It’s interesting to note that the Wylie camp was also the Widforss was acquainted with the prominent home of plucky little Brighty the Burro of Maguerite Swedish-American geologist Fritiof Fryxell of Augustana Henry’s classic children’s book, an early infl uence on my College who purchased one of his Yosemite paintings interest in Grand Canyon. and later donated the work to the Augustana College Art Museum. He also organized an exhibition of Widforss’ paintings at Augustana College in 1938. Th eir relationship directly, or indirectly, associates Widforss with the other Swedish-American artists with whom Fryxell was familiar and supported.

Union Pacific Postcard showing Gunnar Widforss, left, and the McKee family at Bright Angel Point, circa 1924. While corresponding with the McKee’s grand- daughter she shared a family photo with me that showed Gunnar along with Th omas McKee and his family, standing at Bright Angel Point on the rim It turns out that, previously unknown to me, a postcard was printed from that photograph by the Union Pacific Railway. I accidentally ran across one of these on ebay and was able to acquire it! Th at’s Gunnar on the tip of the rock.

A Few Other Notes Between March and November I presented nine lectures for a variety of audiences, all of whom were fascinated with Widforss’ story and his paintings. In addition to giving talks in Yosemite, Sequoia and Zion National Parks I also enjoyed meeting the members and giving talks for the Scandinavian Cultural Center of Santa Cruz, and Svea Lodge of San Jose. While in Washington DC I was honoured to be able to give a talk on Widforss for the cartographic art and design staﬀ of Life in Yosemite Valley in 1924. Gunnar and a friend. the National Geographic Society. Th at was a highlight for me! One of the most important things that I have My work this year has been extremely productive been able to do this year is to begin placing Widforss in and for this I thank the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation the context of other early twentieth century Swedish- and the Swedish-American Historical Society. It means a American artists. Although he lived in remote locations lot to me to be able to bring recognition to an important where he painted, Widforss participated in many exhibitions Swedish-American artist with the generous support and featuring other Swedish-American artists at the Chicago the vision of Swedish-American foundations. Art Institute and the Brooklyn Museum of Art. I’m excited about further investigating Widforss’ place in the larger community of Swedish-American artists, and his relationship with other patrons in the United States as well as those in Sweden who supported the ex-patriot artists. During the summer of 2013 I plan to visit Sweden to meet members of Gunnar’s family. I hope to locate and have translated his voluminous letters, and Half Dome From Glacier Point, c. 1924, watercolor on to photograph and catalog the many paintings that I paper, 2 x 6 inches (5.1 x 15.2 cm). Courtesy of Roger Hall. anticipate ﬁ nding. I’ll also visit a number of Swedish museums and galleries to do research. I am very excited As always - if you happen across any paintings to meet his family to walk in his homeland. or other materials pertaining to Gunnar Widforss or his friends and patrons please contact me. Best wishes for the coming year. Alan Petersen

Above, Aspens, North Rim, no date, watercolor on paper, 19 x 24 1/2 inches (48 x 62 cm). Courtesy private collector. Right, California Redwoods, c. 1925, watercolor on paper, 25 1/2 x 20 inches (64.8 x 50.8 cm). Courtesy private collector. Gunnar really did love to paint trees and as these two works illustrate he was a master. He didn’t shy away from diffi cult subjects, he relished the challenges. In a letter written to Mike Harrison oin June of 1931 from the North Rim of Grand Canyon he wrote, “Today I expect to fi nish my fi rst picture [of Grand Canyon] from here. However, one or two more canyon pictures will probably be all – until I see that they sell. Because there are most wonderful groups of aspens here. And they fascinate me much more than the Canyon.” Th e painting of the Redwoods on the right was sadly destroyed in the great Oakland Fire of 1991.